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TOT 193-WEEK 193
Observation as Integral part Active Listening
(To be used in Advance training).
Narratives are part of mediation process. Each party and each of the participants give their own narratives. Mediator has to listen to these narratives.
Observation is part of active listening. Trainers have to strengthen active listening skills in the trainees.
i)Observation of the parties/participants:
Trainer may have to make note of:
What has the trainee mediator observed?
Has he /she observed the response/s of the party to the narrative of the other?
How has the trainee mediator responded to those observations?
ii)Trainer has to train the trainees to observe, recognise and understand :
- Impulsive reactions
- Intelligent inactions
- Confusions expressed through body language.
iii) Practical use of Observation:-
Trainer has to equip the trainees to effectively make use of the information
received through their observation.
How is this objective achieved?
Trainer gives a situational role play.
Allows the parties /third parties to give their narratives.
Asks the trainee mediator/s to note down the observations
Trainer also makes note of observations. ( Emotions/ expressions/body language/ way of /mode of/ explanation- dependency – etc)
Debriefing:
Trainer has to debrief as to what was observed by the trainee mediator and by the trainer .
Explain where and when these observations might help the mediator.
What was the response of the trainee mediator ?- Explain as to ‘ What could or could not have been the response .’
Advantages:
Trainees will understand the deeper meaning of active listening.
They understand how to integrate observing into listening.
They understand listening cannot be an empty formality.
They understand that listening needs commitment, dedication and preparedness to be in the present.
“All of us are watchers- of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the free way- but few are observers. Everyone is looking, not many are seeing.”
Peter M. Leschak- Writer and Firefighter.
(Note: The objective of this weekly blog post is to help the trainer in mediation in their Mediation Trainings. For earlier blog posts kindly visit totim.law.blog )
(All copy rights reserved by the author S.Susheela)
Training of Trainers in Mediation 